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Health & Wellness for Older Adults

This document discusses health and wellness promotion for older adults. It covers topics like ageism, common health issues in older adults like osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and cancer. It emphasizes the importance of screening, physical fitness, and lifestyle changes like diet and exercise in prevention and management of diseases. Regular assessments are recommended to monitor physical and mental health changes with aging and promote independence and quality of life for older adults.

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117 views29 pages

Health & Wellness for Older Adults

This document discusses health and wellness promotion for older adults. It covers topics like ageism, common health issues in older adults like osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and cancer. It emphasizes the importance of screening, physical fitness, and lifestyle changes like diet and exercise in prevention and management of diseases. Regular assessments are recommended to monitor physical and mental health changes with aging and promote independence and quality of life for older adults.

Uploaded by

Shimmering Moon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture-9

Brig (R) Ali Nasre Alam

HEALTH & WELLNESS


Health and Wellness Promotion
for Older Adults
PREVENTION PRACTICE FOR OLDER ADULTS

 Ageism
Anatomical and Physiological Changes with Aging

Common Health Problems of Older Adults

Screening Older Adult for Health Fitness and Wellness

Fitness for Older Adults

.
 Ageism: prejudice or discrimination against a particular
age-group and especially the elderly.

 Ageism is a form of discrimination and prejudice,


particularly experienced by seniors.

 Most seniors are mentally and physically active regardless


of age with a great deal to contribute.

 However, societal norms marginalize seniors, treat them


with disrespect, make them feel unwelcome and otherwise
generalize as if they were all the same.
 Ageism example:   

Late night comedians and talk show hosts joke about


seniors and memory loss.
 Doctors often talk past the senior patient to an adult child
as if the senior wasn’t even in the room.
 Younger adults mock seniors for being “slow”.
 Commercial advertisements depict seniors as out of date,
and lacking knowledge about modern culture and new
technologies.
 Certain laws and regulations are paternalistic towards
seniors and limit their choices. 
 A demographic revolution caused by the continuing
increase in longevity and the rapid rise in the percentage
of the population older than 65 years of age.

 By 2020 older adults will make up 22 % of population.

 Those who practice health promotion and wellness can


offer significant assistance to older adults seeking to
maintain and improve mental and physical fitness.
 Fitness is a goal to pursue by older adults.

 Chronic illness can be prevented and slowed by well-


crafted physical and mental fitness regimes.

 Such programs must be modified to accommodate the


physical and mental changes that accompany aging.
Physical and Mental Fitness

There is a close relationship between a strong, vital mind


and physiological fitness.
Keeping physically fit improves emotional health, while an

active and curious mind encourages activities that promote


physical health.
Mental fitness is as indispensable to well-being as physical

conditioning.
Aging is associated with a reduction in physical fitness

with loss of muscular force and endurance, along with


slowing of mental functioning.
 Physical activity provides health benefits and maintains
functional independence.
 It improves quality of life in older adults.
 Resistance training has an effect on muscle
 Endurance training increases oxygen transport and
consumption capacities
 Strategies that control health also provide psychological
benefits that protects older adults from adverse emotional
reactions and decreased biological functioning.
 Mood elevation, increased intellectual functioning and
improved self-image are all improved by exercise.
 It is necessary to have a lifelong process of optimizing
opportunities for improving and preserving health and
physical, mental and social wellness.
 Maintaining independence improves quality of life and
can be promoted through physical and mental activities.
 It is important to educate older adults about the
importance of staying physically and mentally active.
Assessment of Older Adults

Anti-aging checkup points to factors that lead to functional


decline.

They focus on measures for the people who are aging well
to improve wellness.

Pathological factors, physical activity, hormone levels,


inflammation, depression and environmental factors should
be considered.
 Clinical, functional and biological assessments, including
evaluation of social and behavioral factors, are important
components in the evaluation of older patients.

 Perhaps of greatest significance is the promotion and


preservation of mobility.
Pathological Conditions That Accompany Aging
Screening for common pathological conditions common to

older adults can be performed using questionnaires, in


addition to physical examination and special tests.

In some cases, imaging and laboratory tests are appropriate


to prevent and detect dysfunction.

While prevention for these conditions should be done early


in life, detection and treatment are of prime importance in
older adults.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis has a prolonged asymptomatic period and is

associated with a substantial morbidity.

It is a systemic disease, characterized by a reduction in


bone mass that results in increased susceptibility to
fractures.

Osteoporosis prevention is based on exercise and optimal


nutrition throughout life.
Nutritional intake and exercise programs must be

customized to address individual needs.


 Risk factors for osteoporosis include a family history of
osteoporosis, slender or small stature, sedentary lifestyle,
and a diet low in dairy products and green leafy
vegetables.

 Postmenopausal females are more susceptible, but this is


not just a disease of older females, with one-third of
osteoporotic hip fractures occurring in men.

 Physical screening should not rely on plain X-ray only

 Ultrasound imaging of the heel is more appropriate to


measure bone density.
Diabetes

 rd3 most common cause of death in developed countries.

Type II, adult-onset diabetes might be adequately


controlled through diet and exercise

 Risk factors: family history of diabetes and obesity

Symptoms include polyuria, polydipsia, poly-phagia,


sudden weight loss and weakness.
 Screening for fasting plasma glucose levels in high-risk
individuals should be performed in over the age of 50.

 Increased exercise and diet will favorably influence.

 Carbohydrates rich in fiber with reduced intake of refined


sugar. Reduction of salt and fat is also recommended.

 Drugs if necessary to manage diabetes.


Hypertension

 Hypertension increases with age and obesity.

 Among major risk factors for stroke and CAD.

Regular endurance exercise reduces the risk of myocardial


infarction and stroke by lowering blood pressure.
 Restriction of salt, weight control, relaxation therapy and
regular exercise all have proven beneficial in reducing
hypertension.

 Regular monitoring of blood pressure during wellness


office visits is essential.

 Drug therapy when appropriate.


Cancer
2nd most common cause of death in America.

Reducing risk of the disease in older adults is important.


Reducing the risk of cancer by reducing carcinogens.

Diagnosing carcinogenesis early.

Interrupting the progression of the disease.

Behavioral choices can reduce the risk of cancer.


 To reduce the risk of carcinogenic agents, patients should
be encouraged to avoid:

• use of tobacco,
• environmental pollutants,
• excessive sun exposure
• additives that act as carcinogens in food substances.
Warning signs of cancer

a nagging, persistent cough, or hoarseness;


obvious change in a mole or wart;

persistent indigestion or difficulty swallowing;

unexplained thickening or a lump anywhere in the body;

unusual bleeding or discharge;

a sore that fails to heal;

change in bladder or bowel habits.


Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the more common type of arthritis,


affecting more than 21 million Americans.

This degenerative form of arthritis progresses the aging


process with the breakdown of cartilage and bone affecting
the weight-bearing joints including the knees, hips and
spine.
Weight reduction is an important part in the prevention of
OA, along with moderate exercise.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are among nutritional


supplements that have proven beneficial in the prevention of
osteoarthritic flare-ups.

OA can be exacerbated by traumatic injury to joints and a


careful history of past injuries is necessary.
 Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an abnormality of the body’s
immune system that causes an inflammation which leads
to destruction and deformity of the joints.

 Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in men than women


and affects approximately 2.1 million Americans.

 In severe and rapidly progressing RA, referral for drug


therapy is necessary.
 Gout is a metabolic form of arthritis.

 This leads to the formation of uric acid crystals in the


joint that causes severe pain and swelling.

 Dietary restriction of some spices, organ meats and


alcohol has proven helpful in controlling gout.
 Joint stiffness also is found in patients with fibromyalgia,
although no damage is found in joints themselves.

 Fibromyalgia patients should be encouraged to


participate in moderate exercise within their narrow
window of tolerance.

 There are many more causes of arthritis.


Promoting Health and Wellness in Older Adults

Fear of falling commonly limits physical activity, causing a


vicious cycle of disability from inactivity.

Address problems of balance, arthritis and chronic


diseases.

As patients age, positive attitudes about lifestyle changes


can vastly improve their quality of life.
 Maintenance of spinal flexibility.

 Regular physical activity throughout life is important for


maintaining a healthy body, enhancing psychological
well-being, and preventing premature death.

 Health promotion and wellness counseling offers an


important service for older adults, and is in the patient’s
best interest.
Thank You

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